Could GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs), already used in obesity and diabetes, be repurposed as drugs to slow aging? Hong Kong, one of the places in the world with the highest human longevity, is also home to a scientific study on the effects of GLP-1RAs. For the first time, scientists at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) have assessed their pharmacological potential in later life using a multiomics preclinical approach.
Could GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs), already used in obesity and diabetes, be repurposed as drugs to slow aging? Hong Kong, one of the places in the world with the highest human longevity, is also home to a scientific study on the effects of GLP-1RAs. For the first time, scientists at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) have assessed their pharmacological potential in later life using a multiomics preclinical approach.
The U.K. Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is calling for unified standards to harmonize microbiome research, after revealing major inconsistencies in the results when labs around the world analyzed identical reference samples of gut bacteria.
Antengene Corp. Ltd. has outlined progress in its early-stage pipeline. The company has leveraged its Antengager T-cell engager (TCE) platform for the discovery of multiple investigational programs.
Aperture Therapeutics Inc. has nominated APRTX-001 as a development candidate, with the program now advancing through IND-enabling studies. APRTX-001 is a CD33-targeting antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) designed for the treatment of frontotemporal dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, with potential for indication expansion into Alzheimer’s disease.
Schizophrenia is a complex psychiatric disorder marked by positive, negative and cognitive symptoms, many of which are poorly addressed by current dopamine-blocking antipsychotics. Preclinical studies show that muscarinic acetylcholine M4 receptor positive allosteric modulators (M4 PAMs) can reduce hyperdopaminergic activity and improve both positive and negative symptom-related behaviors, suggesting they may offer enhanced antipsychotic efficacy with improved tolerability.
Hangzhou Baicreat Pharma-Tech Co. Ltd. has disclosed oxamide compounds acting as signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 (STAT6) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer and inflammatory disorders.
The limited efficacy of cancer immunotherapy is usually attributed to suboptimal antitumor T-cell generation, as well as impaired immunological memory development. MDX-2004 is a trispecific antibody-fusion protein developed by Modex Therapeutics Inc. that targets CD3, CD28 and CD137 on human T...
At the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics, researchers from Circle Pharma Inc. presented their recent work on developing novel compounds that specifically target cyclin D1 while avoiding the toxicity associated with targeting cyclin D3.
Researchers from Chantibody Therapeutics Inc. presented the preclinical characterization of CT-111, a trispecific antibody engineered to simultaneously target PD-1, CTLA-4, and VEGF.
Arginase 1 (Arg1) is a key mediator of immune suppression, and its overexpression has been reported in multiple cancers, including renal cell carcinoma, pancreatic cancer, and head and neck cancer. However, clinical strategies aimed at inhibiting Arg1 function have achieved only limited success.
Harbour Biomed is stepping up its antibody discovery process by using AI to develop innovative therapeutics. “We have done great through the traditional way of generating leads and designing molecules, but there’s a major gap as some therapeutics cannot reach the desired location or common...
Mabloc LLC has established a strategic partnership with Instituto Butantan to co-develop and manufacture MBL-YFV-01, a monoclonal antibody therapy for yellow fever virus (YFV) infection, including emergency post-exposure use.
South Korean researchers led by Lee In-suk of Yonsei University have reported the most complete oral microbiome catalog to date, with more than 72,000 genomes. Detailed in Cell Host & Microbe on Nov. 12, 2025, the database is expected to serve as a universal platform for academia and enable...
Scynexis Inc. has announced that a novel series of antifungal compounds utilizing its proprietary triterpenoid antifungal platform are among five projects funded by a federal grant awarded to the new accelerator consortium led by researchers from Hackensack Meridian Center for Discovery and...
At the 2025 annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in San Diego this week, Catherine Woolley’s plenary lecture was an unusual combination of debunking and affirming the importance of sex differences in the brain.
Pretzel Therapeutics Inc. has described DNA polymerase subunit γ-1 (POLG) modulators reported to be useful for the treatment of neurodegeneration and mitochondrial diseases.
Akeso Inc. has received clearance from China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) to initiate clinical trials with AK-152 for Alzheimer’s disease.
Researchers from the Chinese Institute for Brain Research, the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, and their collaborators have identified adenosine as the driving force behind the rapid, fast-acting antidepressant effects of ketamine and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). “Our journey into this...
Shanghai Innoxtal Therapeutics Co. Ltd. has disclosed sodium channel protein type 10 subunit α (SCN10A; Nav1.8) blockers reported to be useful for the treatment of pain, arrhythmia and urinary incontinence.
Mitorx Therapeutics Ltd. has raised £5.5 million (US$7.2 million) in a pre-series A round to advance its lead mitochondrial-targeted program, Myo-004, through clinical candidate selection.
Despite the formidable challenges for developing precision psychiatry, the approach is notching its first successes in the preclinical and even some clinical settings. Many individual studies as well as large projects like the Psychiatric Ratings using Intermediate Markers (PRISM) studies and the...
Psychiatry has struggled to enter the precision medicine era. But through a mix of innovations and bootstrapping, progress is coming to the field. Scientists are working on improving diagnoses by investigating potential biomarkers and collection methods.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play key roles in cancer development by regulating genes involved in cell growth, differentiation, invasion, metastasis and angiogenesis. Because their expression patterns differ across tumor types and stages, miRNA profiles hold strong potential as noninvasive diagnostic and...
Imhotex Ltd. has disclosed desmuramylpeptide (DMP) analogues of muramyl dipeptide (MDP) acting as nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-containing protein 2 (NOD2) activators reported to be useful for the treatment of Crohn’s disease.
Numab Therapeutics AG and Kaken Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. have entered into a strategic licensing and co-development agreement for NM-81, a multi-specific antibody for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Korro Bio Inc. has nominated KRRO-121 as its next development candidate, for the treatment of patients with hyperammonemia, including patients with urea cycle disorders and hepatic encephalopathy.
Genfit SA has established a research collaboration with Everzom SAS to expand its acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) research via exosome-based regenerative technology. The partners plan to conduct exploratory studies to assess efficacy of...
Eilean Therapeutics LLC has presented in vivo data for its first-in-class MALT1 degrader, TE-205, as a disease-modifying therapy for ulcerative colitis.
Interline Therapeutics Inc. has identified new compounds receptor-interacting serine/threonine-protein kinase 2 (RIPK2; RIP-2) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
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